Twice Is A Charm

On Thursday night I experienced the magic that is Frightened Rabbit with my roommate, who turned into a mostly dysfunctional zombie by the time the concert ended. An unexpected added opener prolonged the wait for the headliner, as Frightened Rabbit didn’t take the stage until 10:45, a mere 3 odd hours after the advertised 7:30 start time. Openers The Phantom Band, hailing from Scotland, and Plants and Animals, a pet-favorite of mind, did provide great opening music. As Frightened Rabbit is a relatively unknown band with a cult following, the hipster crowd was out in full force, parading the horror that is skinny jeans and those winter hats that hang limp in the back. Even though it was a 17 and older show, I felt like an elder statesmen, surrounded by mere fetuses.

I saw Frightened Rabbit in Chicago this past summer and was truly excited to listen to their music live again. They did not disappoint. Their passion, energy, sincerity, and musical prowess meshed to form a rare musical spectacle.

I had never visited the House of Blues before, and absolutely loved the setting. The space was quite intimate, with three levels providing the capacity instead of a sprawling floor. It has an older feel to it, and gives you the impression that the walls have seen many great shows.

“Things” aptly led off the festivities with its mellow beginnings growing into vibrant sound. They bring such life to their songs, no matter how morose and desolate the lyrics may be. “Old Old Fashioned” and “The Twist” spawned Cheshire cat smiles throughout the crowd. The stripped down, acoustic-only “Poke” hushed the entire audience. “My Backwards Walk” began with a driving beat, and grew into a heart-ripping crescendo, rending aorta from ventricle.

As the audience screamed their praise and waited impatiently for an encore, Frightened Rabbit obliged with three songs, culminating with the one favorite song I had yet to hear, “The Loneliness and the Scream.”

It was the last show of their U.S. tour, and all three bands joined on stage as the song looped on and on. Some sat on others’ shoulders, some threw paper planes into the crowd, and all beamed as the thankful masses voiced their appreciation. The gratitude of a band unchanged by fame was evident and made even bigger fans out of all.